The present invention relates to a tool for reworking a press-fit connector.
This application claims the benefit of United Kingdom Patent Application No. 0029504.8, which was filed on 12 Jan. 2000.
Connectors are commonly used for joining together electronic assemblies, such as Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). A particular type of connector is formed by several wafer modules arranged side by side, with each module including a plurality of conductive pins which are press-fitted into corresponding plated holes of the board. Connectors of this type are known, one example being manufactured by Teradyne Inc. and referred to as a VHDM connector.
The modules of the connector are easier to build with the necessary tolerances than a single large connector. Moreover, each module can be individually removed from the board for maintenance operations. Unfortunately, the conductive pins may bend during mounting of the connector on the board when the pins are fitted into the holes (e.g., by means of a press machine). Clearly, when these bent pins cannot be inserted into the holes, the entire faulty module must be replaced.
A known solution for reworking such a connector consists of removing the faulty module from the board by means of pliers, hand-driven by an operator. The operator inserts each jaw of the pliers from the top between the faulty module and the respective adjacent module. The jaws are then closed onto the faulty module, thereby grasping the module, which is then extracted from the board.
One drawback of this solution is that the operation of removing the faulty module may warp or similarly damage one or both of the two adjacent modules, which must then be replaced as well. Moreover, the uncontrolled movement of the operator hand may damage the holes of the board. In this case, if the damage to the holes does not cause an electrical failure immediately detectable, the board is prone to suffer a fault later, which obviously involves a relatively high replacement cost, especially if the board is already installed in a computer.
These drawbacks are particularly acute when some means of engagement between adjacent modules, such as lateral wings, are provided. In this situation, it has been proposed to insert a shim between the faulty module and each adjacent module, in order to separate and unlock the modules. However, the insertion of the shims is not an easy operation; moreover, the use of such shims increases the risk of damaging the adjacent modules and/or the board.
It is believed that a tool for effectively reworking a press-fit connector which overcomes the aforementioned and other disadvantages would represent an advancement in the art.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tool for reworking a press-fit connector attached to an electronic circuit board or the like. The tool comprises first and second jaws for grasping and removing a selected one of the modules from the board, a holding structure for holding the board, and movement structure for moving the jaws relative to the holding structure, at least one of the jaws adapted for separating a module adjacent the selected module from the selected module such that the selected module can be removed from the connector without damage to the modules adjacent the selected module.